Bengal Cong slams Mamata for 'denigrating' PM

Congress on Thursday criticised Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee for a 'personal attack' on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said such 'impulsiveness' violated political decorum.

"We have noted with dismay that the West Bengal chief minister has indulged in a personal attack on the prime minister and even described him as not being a grassroots leader besides taking recourse to mimicry in a televised interview last night," WBPCC president Pradip Bhattacharya told a press conference at the party office.

Asking Banerjee to desist from making 'unwanted comments and mimicry', he said it set an "unhealthy" precedence in national politics.

Bhattacharya said "the comments you have made, I feel, would have hurt you deeply too if made against you.

"It is not wise for her to be so much impulsive as such trends violate political decorum," he said.

The WBPCC chief suggested the chief minister was agitated after finding that the UPA government continuing in power at the Centre after withdrawal of support by Trinamool Congress.

"She is frustrated that her wish for mid-term election at the doorstep after withdrawal of Trinamool Congress support to the UPA has not been fulfilled," he said.

Bhattacharya challenged Banerjee's claim that Congress would fail to win a seat in West Bengal if Lok Sabha election was held now.

"We challenge the chief minister's claim and Congress will show how it can perform in Lok Sabha election," he said.

Bhattacharya, who was in Delhi and had met prime minister recently, said, "Mamata Banerjee should never consider Congress weak and she will realise her mistake when Congress scores heavily in the next panchayat polls."

On Trinamool Congress' opposition to FDI in retail, he said, "We understand that the chief minister is against FDI and that she will not allow its entry in West Bengal. I challenge her to take a vote on the issue in the state and she will see how many votes go against."

"What is the use of misguiding people on your misconceptions on FDI? You should give specific details how domestic retailers will be affected. You are simply misguiding the people," he said.

Alleging there was no plan to revive the state's sagging economy, Bhattacharya, a Rajya Sabha member, suggested the chief minister concentrate more on economic revival since there was "huge expectations for industrial rejuvenation.

He said the chief minister should immediately call an all-party meeting to discuss economic issues and ways to extricate the state from its economic problems.

The Congress leader also disputed Banerjee's contention that Pranab Mukherjee's election as President was due to the votes of Trinamool Congress.

"It is true that the Trinamool Congress chief had to support Pranab babu's candidature after observing that her opposition to his candidacy would not succeed. It is she who had consistently opposed Paranab babu's candidature," he said.

Deepa Dasmunshi, MP, claimed Trinamool Congress' tally in the last assembly and Lok Sabha elections went up because of its alliance with Congress.